Top 5 of the Oldest Pubs in London to Visit And Have a Pint – Which One is Your Favorite?

Which pub is the oldest in London? Ask twelve men and you´ll get twelve different answers.

Since 90% of London pubs were destroyed in the Great Fire in 1666, there aren´t many pubs left that date from before 1666. Of the ones that did escape the Great Fire, retrieving the exact date is quiet hard most of the times. And of the few that did survive many claim to be the oldest. Therefore, I won´t give you an exact top 5 but here´s an overview of 5 of the oldest pubs in London.

1.Ye Olde Mitre Tavern (Ely Court, Hatton Garden, Holborn, London)

Besides being one of London´s most hidden pubs, Ye Old Mitre is also one of the oldest with its history dating back to 1546. Enter the tavern and you´ll encounter a pub with lots of wooden panels and no music or screaming tv’s at all.

2. Cittie of Yorke (22 High Holborn, Holborn, London)

Also located in Camden´s Holborn area, Cittie of Yorke is located for more than 580 years on the same site, although it was rebuilt in the beginning of the 1920´s. Famous for its ingenious triangular stove standing in the centre of the bar, Cittie of Yorke is definitely one of London´s most unique pubs

3. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (145 Fleet Street, Holborn, London  )

Another candidate in our list of oldest pubs in London is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. It was build only a year after the Great Fire, but on its site used to be a pub called the Horn which was built in 1538. A unique feature of Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is its cellar which dates to a 13^th century monastery.

4. The Seven Stars (53 Carey Street, Holborn, London)

Located near the Royal Courts of Justice this tiny little pub did not only survive the Great Fire, in 2002 it also celebrated its 400^th anniversary. Once inside The Seven Stars you´ll understand why Londoners call this the pub with the most ´character´ in the whole of London.

5.The George Inn (77 Borough High Street, Borough, London)

Near the London Bridge in Southwark The George Inn is located, London´s only surviving galleried coaching inn. Being rebuild in 1667 The George Inn has several different bars. What nowadays is called The Middle Bar, used to be called The Coffee Room and was frequented a lot by Charles Dickens. The George Inn is even mentioned by Dickens in one of its books (Little Dorrit).

Which one is your favorite? We’re particularly fond of Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. Let us know in the comments!